Jeffrey R. Studer, 70, St. Cloud

June 1, 1955 – May 11, 2026

Jeffrey R. Studer passed away on May 11, 2026, in Saint Cloud, at the age of 70.
A visitation will be held on Monday, May 18, 2026, from 11 am to 2 pm at Benson Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life will be held from 4pm to 7 pm, at the Beaver Island Brewing Company Taproom following the visitation.

Jeffrey Ross Studer was a big man with silver-blue eyes, a full beard, and the kind of presence that made a room feel different the moment he walked in. Born in St. Cloud, Minnesota to Raymond and Margaret (Ross) Studer, he was the only son between them — raised alongside four sisters who never left his side. He proudly carried the Studer name forward, having five sons of his own.

Jeff believed in doing. Not watching, not waiting — just doing it. He started behind the wheel of a garbage truck before working his way into sales, eventually representing national companies with a multi state territory. He hauled truckloads of beets through the Dakotas and ran a cheese curd stand during summer festivals. He once filled a basement with sand in the dead of Minnesota winter just to throw a beach party. Jeff did not wait for summer. He made summer happen.

Sales was his calling and his nature. He would walk into a room full of strangers and leave with a roomful of friends. It wasn’t a skill he learned — it was who he was. Warm, funny, magnetic, and impossible to say no to.

Jeff was well known around St. Cloud, and so was his smile. He was a hunter and a fisherman, a man who understood that some of the best things in life happen in the cold and the quiet before dawn. Deer season was sacred. The traditions ran deep. When it comes time for a final goodbye, his ashes will be scattered across the woods and the lake — two places that shaped him. He is going home the right way.

He was a father of five sons — Justin, Matt, Adam, Nick, and Spencer —and a grandfather to more than fifteen grandchildren. He wasn’t the dad who made it to every game, but he was the dad you wanted around. No tension, no walls. Just warmth, humor, and the kind of acceptance that makes a kid feel like the world is going to be alright. His boys knew they were loved. That was never in question. In his later years he found one more reason to smile — a woman named Nancy, whom he called Fancy Nancy. She was his sweetheart and his bright spot. Near the end, when he had little patience left for the world, she walked in and got a pass every single time. That said everything.

Jeff was a Timberwolves fan, a Twins fan, a Vikings fan — a loyal man who never stopped believing even when the odds were long. A St. Cloud original, a Minnesotan through and through, and a man whose laugh you could pick out across any crowded room. He spent his final days surrounded by his sons, his sisters, and the people who loved him most. He got the moment he had been holding out for — all of his boys together. Then he rested. Men like Jeff don’t come around twice.

Jeff is survived by his sons Justin (Crystal), Matt (Laura), Adam, Nick (Leah), Spencer (Amber); sisters Rosanne (Merl) Beebe, Debbie (Jerry) Anderson, Cindy (Mark) Slivnik, Becky (Tom) Secord; half-sister, Janet (Klaus) Pirl; his sweetheart, Nancy; fifteen grandchildren, and everyone whose life was a little warmer for having known him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, half-brothers Wayne and Ron (Nola), half-sisters, Maureen (Mike) Meixner, and two grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.